Averkamp also had 8 rebounds and became the 19th player in Loyola history with at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. "That feels a thousand times better," Averkamp said after the Ramblers (3-2) stopped a two-game skid.

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Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-6) got 13 points from Troy Snyder. Both teams lost games Friday and Saturday in the three-day South Florida Invitational.

Loyola grabbed a 47-36 lead with five minutes remaining on Christian Thomas' 3-point play and 3 in-close baskets by Averkamp.

"Averkamp is a great role model," Loyola coach Porter Moser said. "The kid just works and works. He's a big-time performer for us."

NIU 72, Judson 54:

Sam Mader and Akeem Springs scored 16 points apiece and Northern Illinois won its home opener. Kevin Gray had 10 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Huskies (1-2), who dropped road games at Nebraska-Omaha and Valparaiso.

Judson (2-6), which plays in NAIA Division II, jumped out to a 20-12 lead. NIU answered by running off 15 straight points and eventually led 39-32 at halftime.

Ohio St. 77, Washington 66:

Deshaun Thomas tied a career high with 31 points and led No. 4 Ohio State over Washington in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament at Uncasville, Conn.

The 6-foot-7 junior, who also had 8 rebounds, had 21 in the first half as the Ohio State (3-0) built at 10-point lead and cruised through the second half. Washington fell to 2-2.

MSU 69, Texas Southern 41:

Gary Harris scored 19 points, including 14 in a lopsided first half, to lead No. 21 Michigan State (2-1) past Texas Southern (1-3).

Branden Dawson had 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Adreian Payne added 9 points and 7 rebounds for Michigan State, which extended their string of wins in home openers to 36.

Wisconsin 73, Cornell 40:

Jared Berggren and Ben Brust each scored 18 points to help No. 22 Wisconsin (2-1) beat Cornell (1-3). Brust also grabbed 12 rebounds, while Ryan Evans also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota 72, Richmond 57:

Rodney Williams helped host Minnesota (4-0) rally in the second half after a sluggish start, scoring 15 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the victory over Richmond (3-1).

Kenny Boynton had 20 points and Will Yeguete scored 11 and grabbed 13 rebounds to help No. 10 Florida (3-0) pull away to a victory over Middle Tennessee (2-1) in the South Florida Invitational at Tampa, Fla.

Boynton scored the final 13 points of the game for Florida, which opened the second half with a 14-2 run and never looked back.

Nebraska 75, Neb.-Omaha 62:

Dylan Talley scored 14 of his career-high 22 points in the second half to lead host Nebraska (3-0) past Nebraska-Omaha in the first Division I matchup between the two schools.

Syracuse 88, Wagner 57:

Brandon Triche had 21 points and 7 rebounds, James Southerland added 15 points and 3 blocks, and No. 8 Syracuse (2-0) defeated Wagner (0-2). Syracuse has won 23 straight home games and 34 in a row in the Carrier Dome against nonconference foes.

Oklahoma St. 76, N.C. St. 56:

Le'Bryan Nash has 23 points and Marcus Smart added 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as Oklahoma State earned a victory over No. 6 N.C. State (3-1) in the title game of the Puerto Rico Tipoff at Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Phil Forte had 17 points for Oklahoma State (4-0), which outrebounded N.C. State 42-27.

ISU 87, Delaware St. 48:

Tyler Brown scored 14 points, Jon Ekey and Nick Zeisloft each chipped in with 11, and host Illinois State (3-0) had no problems with Delaware State (3-1).

Sherman Blanford scored 17 points, including the deciding basket with 21 seconds to play, and Eastern Illinois (2-3) defeated IPFW (2-3) at Ypsilanti, Mich. The game was part of the Ice Man Classic at Eastern Michigan University.

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